Bowbells, North Dakota
Location of Bowbells, North Dakota
Coordinates: 48°48′14″N 102°14′46″W / 48.80389, -102.24611
Country	United States
State	North Dakota
County	Burke
Area
- Total	0.8 sq mi (2.1 km²)
- Land	0.8 sq mi (2.1 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	1,962 ft (598 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	406
- Density	511.2/sq mi (197.4/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	58721
Area code(s)	701
FIPS code	38-08500[1]
GNIS feature ID	1028092[2]
Website: www.bowbellsnd.com

Bowbells is a city in Burke County, North Dakota in the United States. It is the county seat of Burke County. The population was 406 at the 2000 census (down from its 1990 population of 498). The Voice of America (VOA) noted that Burke County was the "fastest-shrinking county in the nation" (as of 2005). The city Bowbells was founded in 1898 and incorporated in 1906.

Bowbells is about 20 km (12 miles) south of the Canadian border, just off a 90-degree bend in U.S. Highway 52 and along the Canadian Pacific Railway, a railway serving the SunPrairie Grain grain terminal there. It is located approximately 52 miles northwest of Minot, North Dakota, the nearest city with an international airport (MOT) and 30 miles north of Stanley, North Dakota, the nearest passenger train station.

Farmers in the area produce crops such as barley, canola, flax, oats, peas, sunflowers, durum and Hard Red Spring Wheat. The is and continues to be substantial oil wells thus oil related business in the area, including drilling, service and distribution businesses.

The town is home to a Lutheran, a Methodist, and a Roman Catholic church.

Some of the businesses in the town include an implement dealership, a gas station, a service station, a handful of crop and property insurance agencies, Dacotah Bank, SunPrairie Grain (a division of CHS Incorporated), Savage Industries, Peterson's Department Store, and Winzy's Drive-In, and government related buildings and businesses. During a VOA reporter's visit, the town's main street included a boarded-up hotel, café, hardware store, bowling alley, and a grocery store. Since it is the county seat of Burke County, the courthouse is located on the southwest side of town and also the official county newspaper, The Burke County Tribune newspaper is located in the city as well.^[3].

A municipal golf course is located 4 miles east of the city, a community swimming pool, park and campground are available as well for visitors and residents.

The city's centennial celebration was the third week in July,2006. Several hundred people from all over the country registered and attended. Burke County will celebrate its centennial in the summer of 2010.

Geography

Bowbells is located at 48°48′14″N, 102°14′46″W (48.803761, -102.246146)^[4], a few miles west of Upper Des Lacs Lake and the Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge. The Des Lacs valley was formed as meltwater flowed out of Glacial Lake Regina thousands of years ago.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²), of which, 0.8 square miles (2.0 km²) of it is land and 1.25% is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 406 people, 174 households, and 116 families residing in the town. The population density was 511.2 people per square mile (198.4/km²). There were 214 housing units at an average density of 269.5/sq mi (104.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.77% White, 0.74% Native American, 0.25% Asian, and 0.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.25% of the population.

There were 174 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who are 65 years of age or older. About 100 K-12 students attend the town's local public school. The median age is 42 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,455, and the median income for a family was $35,625. Males had a median income of $30,833 versus $12,212 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,491. About 9.2% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.1% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
3. ^ [http://www.cndnews.com/CNDNEWS/myarticles.asp?S=106&PubID=4696&P=29823 NEWSPAPER: Website
4. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

• City of Bowbells official website
• Bowbells public school website

• Bowbells, North Dakota is at coordinates 48°48′14″N 102°14′46″W / 48.803761, -102.246146 (Bowbells, North Dakota)Coordinates: 48°48′14″N 102°14′46″W / 48.803761, -102.246146 (Bowbells, North Dakota)
• ... Small Towns Disappear, a September 2005 VOA story about Bowbells, also in MP3 audio format

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Burke County, North Dakota
County seat: Bowbells
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